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and had been left in the state of a puzzling riddle, but now it was openly clear to all. 3.21.16 For previously Gizeric drove out Boniface, and now Belisarius Gelimer. So this, then, whether it was some rumour or an oracle, turned out this way. 3.21.17 And at that time also a dream, which had been seen often by many before, but it being unclear how it would turn out, had come to light. And the dream happened to be as follows. Cyprian, a holy man, the Carthaginians revere most of all. 3.21.18 And having established for him a certain temple of great account before the city beside the seashore, they both perform other rites and celebrate a festival, which they indeed call the Cypriana, and from it the sailors are accustomed to name the storm, which I just mentioned, homonymously with the festival, since it is accustomed to fall at the time at which the Libyans have made it a custom always to celebrate this festival. 3.21.19 This temple the Vandals took by forcing the Christians when Honoric was ruling. 3.21.20 And having straightway driven out their priests from there with great dishonor, they themselves for the future took charge of the sacred rites, as belonging to the Arians. 3.21.21 Therefore, to the Libyans who were distressed and perplexed on this account, they say that often Cyprian, having appeared in a dream, said that Christians ought least of all to be concerned about him; for he himself, as time went on, would be his avenger. 3.21.22 And when the story, being spread about, came to all the Libyans, they were indeed watching eagerly for some punishment on account of these sacred rites to come upon the Vandals, but were unable to determine how the vision of the dream would turn out for them. 3.21.23 So now, when the emperor's fleet arrived in Libya (for the time, coming around, was about to bring the festival on the next day), the Arian priests, although Ammatas had led the Vandals to Decimum, both cleaned the entire sanctuary and were hanging up the finest of the votive offerings there, and having made ready the lamps and having brought out the treasures from the treasuries, were preparing everything carefully, so that each of them happened to be suitably arranged for the need. 3.21.24 But the events at Decimum happened to turn out thus, as has been previously shown by me. 3.21.25 And the Arian priests went away in flight, but the Christians, for whom the matters of doctrine are rightly practiced, arriving at the temple of Cyprian, both lit all the lamps and took charge of the sacred rites just as it was their custom to perform them, and thus what the vision of the dream had indeed foretold was known to all. But these things, then, turned out this way. 3.22.1 And the Vandals, remembering an old saying, were amazed, understanding for the future that for a mortal man neither any unbelievable hope nor a secure possession could exist. 3.22.2 And what this saying was and in what manner it was spoken, I shall declare. 3.22.3 When the Vandals at the beginning, being pressed by famine, were about to depart from their ancestral homes, a certain portion of them was left behind, for whom, since they were seized with hesitation, it was not to their liking to follow Godigisclus. 3.22.4 And as time went on, it seemed to those who had remained that matters concerning the abundance of provisions were going well, and Gizeric with those about him took Libya. 3.22.5 And hearing this, those who had not followed Godigisclus rejoiced, since the land for the future was most strongly sufficient for them to live on. 3.22.6 But fearing lest at some much later time either they themselves, whoever took Libya, or their descendants, being driven out of Libya in some way, should return to their ancestral homes (for they suspected that the Romans would never overlook it forever), 3.22.7 they sent ambassadors to them. who, when they came into the sight of Gizeric, said that they indeed rejoiced with their kinsmen for having prospered so, but that they were not able to guard the land further, which they themselves had slighted to establish themselves in Libya. 3.22.8 Therefore they begged, if they laid no claim to their ancestral land, to present it to them, as a useless possession to themselves, so that having become masters of the country as securely as possible, if anyone should go against it to do harm, they might least of all be unwilling to die for it. 3.22.9 Therefore to Gizeric and the other Vandals, they seemed to be speaking well and justly, and they conceded all things, which they 3.22.10
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καὶ ἀπολελεῖφθαι ἐν αἰνίγματος ἀπορουμένου μοίρᾳ, νῦν δὲ ἅπασιν 3.21.16 ἄντικρυς φανερὸν εἶναι. πρότερόν τε γὰρ Γιζέριχος Βονιφάτιον ἐξεδίωξε καὶ τανῦν Γελίμερα Βελισάριος. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν, εἴτε φήμη τις ἦν εἴτε λόγιον, ταύτῃ ἐχώρησε. 3.21.17 Τότε δὲ καὶ ὄναρ πολλοῖς μὲν πολλάκις ὀφθὲν πρότερον, ἄδηλον δὲ γεγονὸς ὅπη ἐκβήσεται, ἐς φῶς ἐληλύθει. ἐτύγχανε δὲ ὂν τὸ ὄναρ τοιόνδε. Κυπριανὸν, ἅγιον ἄνδρα, μάλιστα πάντων οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι 3.21.18 σέβονται. καὶ αὐτῷ νεών τινα λόγου πολλοῦ ἄξιον πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἱδρυσάμενοι παρὰ τὴν τῆς θαλάσσης ἠιόνα τά τε ἄλλα ἐξοσιοῦνται καὶ ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν, ἣν δὴ Κυπριανὰ καλοῦσι, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸν χειμῶνα οἱ ναῦται, οὗπερ ἐγὼ ἀρτίως ἐμνήσθην, ὁμωνύμως τῇ πανηγύρει προσαγορεύειν εἰώθασιν, ἐπεὶ ἐς τὸν καιρὸν ἐπισκήπτειν φιλεῖ, ἐφ' οὗ ταύτην οἱ Λίβυες ἄγειν ἐς 3.21.19 ἀεὶ τὴν ἑορτὴν νενομίκασι. τοῦτον οἱ Βανδίλοι τὸν νεὼν ἐπὶ Ὁνωρίχου βασιλεύοντος τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς 3.21.20 βιασάμενοι ἔσχον. καὶ αὐτῶν ἐνθένδε ξὺν πολλῇ ἀτιμίᾳ τοὺς ἱερέας εὐθὺς ἐξελάσαντες αὐτοὶ τῶν ἱερῶν τὸ λοιπὸν ἅτε προσηκόντων Ἀρειανοῖς, ἐπεμελοῦντο. 3.21.21 ἀσχάλλουσιν οὖν διὰ ταῦτα καὶ διαπορουμένοις τοῖς Λίβυσι πολλάκις φασὶ τὸν Κυπριανὸν ὄναρ ἐπισκήψαντα φάναι ἀμφ' αὐτῷ μεριμνᾶν τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἥκιστα χρῆναι· αὐτὸν γάρ οἱ προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου 3.21.22 τιμωρὸν ἔσεσθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ λόγος περιφερόμενος ἐς τοὺς Λίβυας ἅπαντας ἦλθε, καραδοκεῖν μὲν αὐτοὺς τίσιν ποτέ τινα τῶν ἱερῶν τούτων ἕνεκα ἐς τοὺς Βανδίλους ἀφίξεσθαι, οὐκ ἔχειν μέντοι τεκμηριῶσαι ὅπη 3.21.23 ποτὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ τοῦ ὀνείρου ὄψις ἐκβήσεται. νῦν οὖν, ἐπεὶ ἐς Λιβύην ὁ βασιλέως στόλος ἀφίκετο, (ἐπανιὼν γὰρ ἤδη ὁ χρόνος τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ τὴν πανήγυριν ἀγαγεῖν ἔμελλεν) οἱ μὲν τῶν Ἀρειανῶν ἱερεῖς, καίπερ Ἀμμάτα Βανδίλοις ἐς ∆έκιμον ἡγησαμένου, τό τε ἱερὸν ἐκάθηραν ἅπαν καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἀναθημάτων τὰ κάλλιστα ἐκρέμων, καὶ τὰ λύχνα ἐν παρασκευῇ ποιησάμενοι τά τε κειμήλια ἐξενεγκόντες ἐκ τῶν ταμιείων ἡτοίμαζον ἀκριβῶς ἅπαντα, ὥς πη αὐτῶν ἕκαστον ἐς 3.21.24 τὴν χρείαν ἐπιτηδείως ἔχον ἐτύγχανε. τὰ δὲ ἐν ∆εκίμῳ οὕτως, ὥσπερ μοι προδεδήλωται, γενέσθαι ξυν3.21.25 έβη. καὶ οἱ μὲν τῶν Ἀρειανῶν ἱερεῖς φεύγοντες ᾤχοντο, Χριστιανοὶ δὲ, οἷς τὰ ἐς τὴν δόξαν ὀρθῶς ἤσκηται, ἀφικόμενοι ἐς τοῦ Κυπριανοῦ τὸν νεὼν, τά τε λύχνα ἔκαιον ἅπαντα καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐπεμελοῦντο ᾗπερ αὐτοῖς τελεῖσθαι ταῦτα νόμος, οὕτω τε ἅπασιν ἃ δὴ προὔλεγεν ἡ τοῦ ὀνείρου ὄψις ἐγνώσθη. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τῇδε ἐχώρησεν. 3.22.1 Οἱ δὲ Βανδίλοι λόγου παλαιοῦ ἀναμνησθέντες ἐθαύμαζον, ἐξεπιστάμενοι τὸ λοιπὸν ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ γε ὄντι οὔτ' ἂν ἄπιστός τις ἐλπὶς οὔτε κτῆσις βέβαιος 3.22.2 γένοιτο. ὅστις δὲ ἦν οὗτος ὁ λόγος καὶ ὅντινα ἐρρήθη 3.22.3 τρόπον, ἐγὼ δηλώσω. ἡνίκα Βανδίλοι κατ' ἀρχὰς τῷ λιμῷ πιεζόμενοι ἐξ ἠθῶν τῶν πατρίων ἀνίστασθαι ἔμελλον, μοῖρά τις αὐτῶν ἀπελείπετο, οἷς δὴ ὀκνήσει ἐχομένοις πρὸς ἡδονὴν Γωδιγίσκλῳ ἐπισπέσθαι οὐκ 3.22.4 ἦν. προϊόντος δὲ χρόνου τοῖς τε μείνασι τὰ ἐς τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τὴν ἀφθονίαν εὖ ἔχειν ἐδόκει καὶ Γιζέριχος 3.22.5 ξὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν Λιβύην ἔσχεν. ὅπερ ἀκούσαντες οἱ Γωδιγίσκλῳ οὐκ ἐπισπόμενοι ἔχαιρον, τῆς χώρας λοιπὸν ἰσχυρότατα σφίσιν ἐς τὸ ἀποζῆν διαρκούσης. 3.22.6 δείσαντες δὲ μὴ χρόνῳ τινὶ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἢ αὐτοὶ, ὅσοι Λιβύην ἔσχον, ἢ οἱ τούτων ἀπόγονοι ὅτῳ δὴ τρόπῳ Λιβύης ἐξελαυνόμενοι ἐπανήξουσιν ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη (οὐ γάρ ποτε Ῥωμαίους αὐτὴν ἐς ἀεὶ περιόψεσθαι 3.22.7 ὑπετόπαζον), πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν παρ' αὐτούς. οἳ, ἐπεὶ Γιζερίχῳ ἐς ὄψιν ἧκον, συνήδεσθαι μὲν τοῖς ὁμογενέσιν οὕτω δὴ εὐημερήσασιν ἔφασκον, φυλάσσειν δὲ περαιτέρω τὴν γῆν οὐχ οἷοί τε εἶναι, ἧσπερ αὐτοὶ ὠλιγω3.22.8 ρηκότες ἐπὶ Λιβύης ἱδρύσαντο. ἐδέοντο οὖν, εἰ μὴ γῆς τῆς πατρῴας μεταποιοῦνται, κτήματι αὐτοὺς ἀνονήτῳ σφίσι δωρήσασθαι, ὅπως δὴ κύριοι τῆς χώρας ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα γεγενημένοι, ἤν τις κακουργήσων ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἴοι, ὡς ἥκιστα ἀπαξιοῦν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς θνήσκειν. 3.22.9 Γιζερίχῳ μὲν οὖν καὶ Βανδίλοις τοῖς ἄλλοις εὖ τε καὶ τὰ δίκαια λέγειν ἔδοξαν, καὶ ξυνεχώρουν ἅπαντα, ὅσα 3.22.10 οἱ